On Sunday, Jake Tapper asked John McCain about a moment on the campaign trail a few weeks ago when a supporter of Donald Trump made some remarks about Muslims in this country, and also said that Obama is a Muslim. Trump did not correct or argue with the person. A few years ago, John McCain did the opposite at a town hall meeting, which Tapper brought up to ask McCain if Trump should have done something.
At first, McCain doesn’t really answer, but instead suggests that candidates are spending so much time attacking one another, and doing so viciously, that Republicans will pay the price in the general. It almost sounded like he was trying not to impugn Trump.
Tapper pressed him about whether leaders have a “responsibility to condemn bigotry” when they hear it. McCain replies “absolutely.” However he then goes back to a lesson Reagan’s 11th commandment. It wasn’t much of a condemnation on his part.
Twitter and Mediaite – and certainly there will be others – have tried to pitch this is a big smack in Trump’s face by McCain, which therefore proves something about Trump. In reality, it seems more like Mr. Politics John McCain was just trying to find a way to please the media and not earn any more Trump wrath.
It’s hardly a big moral moment between John McCain and Donald Trump. Just more media hype.